Dear Dhamma Friends,
Sukihotu.
I've just finished reading The World's Religion by Hutson Smith. It covers major religions that are practiced around the world. I think he knows his stuff very well and I certainly enjoyed reading it
When it comes to the chapter on Buddhism he touches on the core teaching including the 4 Noble Truth, Noble 8 Fold Path and so on. But at one instance he was puzzled by the Buddha's action.
On the subject of Right Livelihood Smith wrote:-
5. Right Livelihood
The word "occupation" is well devised, for our work does indeed occupy most of our waking attention. Buddha consider spiritual progress to be impossible if the bulk of one's doings pull against it: "The hand of the dryer is subdued by the dye in which it works.". Christianity has agreed. While explicitly including the hangman as a role society regrettably requires, Martin Luther disallowed usurer and spectators.
For those who intent enough on liberation to gives their entire lives to project, right livelihood requires joining the monastic order and subscribing to its discipline. For the lay person it calls for engaging in occupations that promote life life instead of destroying it. Again the Buddha was not content with generalizing. He named names - the professions of his day he considered incompatible with spiritual seriousness. Some of these are obvious : poison peddlers, slave traders, prostitution. Others if adopted worldwide would be revolutionary : butchers, brewer, arms makers, tax collector (profiteering was then routine). One number continues to be puzzling, why did the Buddha condemn the occupation of caravan traders?
While the Buddha's explicit teachings about work were aimed at helping his contemporaries decide between occupation that were conducive to spiritual progress and ones that impede it, there are Buddhists who suggest that if were teaching today he would be less concerned with specifics than with the danger that people forget that earning a living is life's means, not life's end.
End.
On this note I wonder if there is anyone know the answer. What so bad about being a caravan traders? Pls share with us.
Mettacittena
6th Sep 2011
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